Littleton’s post office opened in 1869, and 7 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 47% of U.S. towns · #45 of 159 in Colorado. What drives it
Most of Littleton was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1982. 7 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 78 buildings between them. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1893 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: the first Littleton post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1890.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Littleton’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Littleton is more historic than 47% of U.S. towns, #45 of 159 in Colorado. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Littleton’s overall grade.
Few Colorado towns list much on the Register (a typical Colorado town has 1.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Littleton’s 19.9 sits above most of its state (78% of Colorado towns have fewer) while its 89 historic buildings outnumber those of 89% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B. The pre-1940 share (±1.1 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1890 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Littleton’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Every building
Littleton, building by building, 1893–1921
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
The city of Littleton's history dates back to the 1859 Pike's Peak gold rush, which brought not just gold seekers, but merchants and farmers to the community. Richard Sullivan Little was an engineer from New Hampshire who came West to work on irrigation systems. Little soon decided to settle in the area at present day Littleton and brought his wife Angeline from the East in 1862. The Littles and neighbors built the Rough and Ready Flour Mill in 1867, which provided a solid economic base in the community. By 1890, the community had grown to 245 people and the residents voted to incorporate the Town of Littleton.
Passages that mention Littleton, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of the city of Denver, Arapahoe County, and Colorado1880Read the page →
Read the text
he left La Crosse and came to Colorado, engaging in the Gold Dirt Lead near Central. In 1862, he settled on his present farm, near the present village of Littleton, entering 120 acres under the claim chib law. He now owns 360 acres of fine, fertile land, second to none in the Platte Valley. Mr.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of the city of Denver, Arapahoe County, and Colorado1880Read the page →
Read the text
One of the early settlers of Colorado is Edward Montgomery, of the village of Littleton. Hewasborn in St. Lawrence County, N. Y., January 13, 1839. On the outbreak of the Pike's Peak gold fever, he left home for the Rocky Mountains. Outfitting at St. Joseph, Mo., he crossed the Plains with a mule team, the journey occupying twenty days. Arriving at Denver June 8, 1860, he went at once to
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Littleton, 1869 to 1998
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
The Littleton post office opened in 1869, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1890.
How does Littleton rank for history?
Littleton is more historic than 47% of U.S. towns, #45 of 159 in Colorado. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Littleton?
7 listings: 5 buildings, among them the Hildebrande Ranch (listed 1975, the first), and 2 historic districts, the Littleton Main Street and the Arapaho Hills, with 78 contributing buildings. 89 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Littleton?
3% of Littleton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.1 points), against a typical 2.5% for a Colorado town; the median home was built in 1982.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (2), the Library of Congress (2), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (7), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1920
1933
